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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in Rampur Jail in connection with its ongoing money-laundering investigation relating to the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.
A team from the Enforcement Directorates Lucknow zonal office reached Rampur district jail earlier in the day and questioned the Samajwadi Party leader on various aspects of the case, based on evidence collected by the agency during its investigation so far. The questioning is still underway in the barrack where the leader is lodged. The federal agency recorded Azam Khan's statement as part of its probe into alleged diversion of government contract funds through private contractors and their subsequent utilisation, including for the creation of assets of Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. The move comes almost two-and-a-half months after the federal agency conducted searches at ten premises linked to Azam Khan in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in connection with the case under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The search operation was launched on August 19, covering premises in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur and Saharanpur, as well as Delhi. The premises then searched included Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University linked to Azam Khan. Founded by Azam Khan in 2006, Mohammad Ali Jauhar University is a private university in Rampur. ED said its investigation has so far revealed, "financial transactions between certain contractors and the trust and contractors allegedly benefiting from Government contracts diverted funds towards the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, including substantial donations and construction works." EF is investigating the case to trace the proceeds of crime, financial records, documents and digital evidence relating to alleged diversion and utilisation of government funds. Azam Khan has been sentenced to two years in prison in a case related to his alleged cleaning shoes objectionable remark against government officials, including the then Collector-cum-District Magistrate, during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. A 10-time MLA from Rampur Sadar and former Cabinet minister, Azam Khan has been one of the Samajwadi Partys most prominent Muslim faces and a long-standing influential figure. He has been lodged in Rampur district jail since November last year after his conviction in a forgery case. (ANI)
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